Preview; Cosmos: A Space Time: Odyssey “The Electric Boy”

Science is my life in the real world and I have been a sucker for TV shows based around the subject since Tomorrows World lied to me as a child (I’m still waiting for a hover car and its 2014). Usually Biology and Natural history are my main area of fascination and I consume everything Sir David Attenborough creates like a locust. One of the main reasons I find Attenborough so amazing is he is a scientist first and presenter second the same is true of Richard Dawkins. Now though we are beginning to see a new breed of scientist/presenter coming to our screens the two most notable for me are Brian Cox and the presenter of Cosmos Neil deGrasse Tyson.

We are arriving rather late to the show coming in on the tenth episode but for me this has been one of the best science shows I have ever seen. The first thing you will notice on viewing is the mix of CGI, cartoons and live action shots. They are blended to give the impression of movement at nearly every step; it creates a pace to the show that is continued by the presenter. He is probably the trump card in the show, his passion for the subject comes through at all times and thankfully he pitches the show at an understandable level without belittling the audience.

Now on with the show Electric Boy;

Electromagnetic fields in all their CGI glory

There are some scientists whose names roll off of the tongue; Albert Einstein is perhaps one of the top names on the list. Einstein though was not born into his knowledge and even he had people he admired and chief among these is the topic of this episode Michael Faraday.

As with most things in science one discovery is built on another and we begin our journey with yet another genius Sir Isaac Newton this however is more of an introduction to the main course. Faraday did not discover electricity instead he discovered something even bigger Electromagnetic fields and thanks to this discovery he has helped shaped the technological world we live in today.

The show explains his many discoveries including the electric motor mainly with the use of extremely well animated cartoons. These visual representations of the life of Faraday give the audience something to focus on bringing the story to life. It is a leap from some of the CGI heavy episodes based in space but this kind of adaptive storytelling help to make Cosmos an extremely diverse show. Faraday's story is truly amazing as he goes from poverty to the heights of the Royal Institution (institute) of science, it is the kind of story you would laugh at in the cinema for being unbelievable. Yet the facts are there to see and over the hour or so programme you will get a glimpse of this amazing story.

The link to all of the pertinent events in Faraday's life is deGrasse Tyson as he swiftly sums up the previous section before introducing the next. He is a very physical speaker and will use his hands and body language to express himself. It can be off putting to some and there are times I wish the backgrounds would be more static as there can be a little too much movement. This of course is a personal taste issue, I enjoy watching expressive speakers so this is not a huge issue for me. You can tell this show has quite a CGI budget as we get glimpses throughout the show of the presenter in his spaceship studio looking over the world. It is a spot of showmanship but fits with the grand nature of the topics within the show.

Cosmos is where I hope science shows are heading a mix of high concept with stunning imagery and a relatable host. This is a great episode in that it tells a human story while adding in the concepts that made Faraday almost a fairytale figure. I urge you to watch as many shows in this series as you can but place The Electric Boy at the higher end of your viewing list.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey "The Electric Boy" on Sunday 18th May at 9pm on National Geographic Channel

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All Images Courtesy of National Geographic/FOX